Again and again people are bitten by stray dogs and cats. They are immunized with an anti-rabies vaccine. It would be more effective to vaccinate the animals. This remains a major challenge.
A patient received a diagnosis of being infected with HIV about ten years ago. He is currently being treated with antiretroviral drugs to prevent an outbreak of AIDS. In late July, the man was treated at Rhine Valley Hospital for multiple wounds. He had been attacked by a wild dog and bitten several times.
Hospital medical staff decontaminated the wounds by washing them with salt water. Thus, they were able to stop the bleeding at the same time. To prevent tetanus, he was administered a tetanus toxoid vaccine and started on the first dose of anti-rabies treatment.
Immediately, the hospital team scheduled additional appointments to administer the remaining doses. In addition, the client came for wound care every two days until the wound healed.
The anti-rabies vaccine is a vaccine used to prevent rabies after a patient has been in contact with dogs or bat bites and is therefore at risk of viral infection. A total of five doses are usually administered on days 0, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 90 after dog bites occur in the skin or muscle.
In addition to treating acute wounds, hospital staff provide valuable education. They raise awareness in conversations with the public about the importance of vaccinating dogs and cats against rabies. To this end, they seek the cooperation of local authorities such as the village elder and the health officer.
It remains a major challenge to vaccinate stray dogs and cats. Because in the community there are many bushes where the animals hide.
